The blue merle walks into the room, her long, luxurious coat following the geography of her body like contour lines on a hiking map. Everyone gazes at her, reaches to touch her, wants to be her friend.

Brian Booth is looking for a way to tame a wild child. Cancer is genetics’ wild child, relentless, growing from cell to tumor, restless, reaching from brain to bone, reckless, destroying even the body it makes home.